After unsuccessfully contesting the
safe Labour seat of
Tottenham in
1966, Dykes served as a
Conservative Member of Parliament for
Harrow East from
1970 until he lost his seat at the
1997 general election. Having served as an MP for 27 years, he was one of the most senior casualties of the election. He also served as a
Member of the European Parliament between 1974 and 1977. While an MP, Dykes served in the
Ministry of Defence and the
Cabinet Office in
Edward Heath's government. Following the defeat of
Kenneth Clarke in
the Conservative leadership contest following the 1997 general election, Dykes joined the
Liberal Democrats. Within a year of joining the party, he came to serve as an adviser to
Paddy Ashdown on
European Union affairs. He has served as chairman of the
European Movement-UK and as vice president of the
British-German Association. In 1991 he was awarded the
German Order of Merit, followed by the Luxembourg Médaille pour l'Europe in 1993. In 2004, Dykes was raised to the peerage as
Baron Dykes, of
Harrow Weald in the
London Borough of Harrow. The same year he received the French
Légion d'Honneur. == References ==